Americans are very serious about dieting and making sure they do their best to maintain their weight. While it is debatable whether dieting works in the long-term, many people invest a lot of time and money each year to try new diets (the next best thing). The controversy lies in whether or not the diets have lasting effects and if they are a good way to maintain overall health.
Counting calories is a common dieting method. Weight is lost when someone burns more calories than they consume in a day. Calories are used by the body as energy but some contain more fat than others.
To find out how many calories a certain food has, people can look at the back of the box or carton the food is packaged in and check how many total calories and how many calories from fat the food contains per serving.
Nutritionists and dieticians can work with clients to develop meal plans and diets that are safe to consume daily. There are many cooking methods and fast food options that can help people stay on track and make sure they stay within a 1200 calorie diet each day.
Since the average recommended daily caloric intake is 2000 calories, a 1200 calorie diet leads to quick weight loss. The key is to find foods that are low calorie but very filling so that you are not constantly hungry. Fresh foods are always best nutritionally and whole foods are the purest way to consume all the nutritional potential a food has.
Some people drink eight glasses of water daily to make sure they can stay within a 1200 calorie diet. Water is filling and has no calories, so sometimes people try to supplement it for food, which is not the healthiest choice. If you are always hungry trying to maintain the diet, you may need to speak with an expert to see what a realistic weight loss goal should be for your body type.
Exercise generally is not recommended with a 1200 calorie diet because people may not be able to sustain high levels of activity if they are not eating very much. The problem with not incorporating exercise into one’s life is that if they begin eating more than 1200 calories, they will gain the weight they lost back very quickly. It is best to eat healthy and exercise at least three times a week to achieve optimum health.
How to make a 1200 calorie diet work for you without feeling deprived!
There are a goodly number of us Americans who need to lose weight. According to the latest statistics, fully one third of us are overweight or obese. We all know that those extra pounds will ultimately compromise our health, or even shorten our lives. When those unwanted pounds have crept on over a period of years, it becomes harder to shed them. Many women gain significant weight during pregnancy – if you’ve had a few children in close succession, each birth has probably brought a few more pounds you’ve not gotten rid of – making weight loss a challenge indeed. One day, you say, “I’ve had it! I’m going to lose this weight, once and for all!” For all your determination, when D (for diet) day comes, panic sets in. While a 1200 calorie diet is usually only recommended when you’re facing serious threats to your health, it’s nonetheless sometimes necessary.
If you decide that losing a lot of weight quickly, on a 1200 calorie diet, is to be your goal, always, always pass your plan by your doctor to be sure this is both necessary and safe for your particular health condition. If you get the green light from the doc, here are some tips to help you achieve your goal without feeling like you’re starving and deprived. If your 1200 calorie diet is carefully planned, packed with good nutrition and leaves you feeling satisfied after meals, you’re far more likely to succeed.
One of the mainstays of the 1200 calorie diet should be fiber. Why? Foods high in fiber are filling and typically low in calories. Now is the time to embrace those 5-9 servings of produce each day. You’ll want to go for nine! Fiber requires effort, happily in the form of burned calories, for your body to digest. High fiber fruits, such as bananas, and veggies such as broccoli, should be consumed in abundance. In some cases, you can realize a negative calorie content by simply burning more calories digesting the food than it contains!
Another plus for produce is the fact that they are nutrient dense foods, guaranteed to do your body good. Within a couple of weeks of beginning to consume those nine servings, you’ll notice a definite increase in energy.
You’ll also want to drink every one of those much touted eight glasses of water. Three of them should be consumed before you sit down to eat. Water does give you a hint of fullness and also prepares your stomach to receive food, promoting good digestive function. And all this time you thought that water glass, sitting to the side of the wine glass, was just a prop! If you’re one of those who hates to drink water, learn to like it. You can flavor it with lemon or lime, add a splash of club soda, or try one of the commercially flavored waters.
As for meat, if you’re seriously overweight, fatty meats are your enemy. Chicken and fish are excellent sources of protein and are low in fat – remove the skin and fat from chicken. To make up for the lack of flavor, spice up your chicken with salsas, marinades and barbecue sauces.
Here’s another easy trick to help you stick to the 1200 calorie diet: eat slowly. Don’t hurry through your meal. Enjoy the flavor of each bite and set your fork down between bites.
Snacks? Snack time is when you squeeze in one of those nine servings of produce. Dress up a fruit cup with a dab of non dairy whipped topping. Make a fruit smoothie with juice and/or yogurt if you’re really feeling famished.
Dessert, the diet killer, the nemesis of many a dieter and a major contributor to failure. There are now a number of candy makers who offer an array of bite-sized chocolates made with Splenda(TM) with diabetics in mind. These candies taste like the real deal. There’s no reason you can’t live it up a little, even on a 1200 calorie diet! Keep your end goal in mind, follow these guidelines and you will, eventually, lose weight. Just think of all the clothes shopping you’ll be able to do!
